Halloween Party Ideas

[shannonh]

Ok gang, We decided to invite my DS's K class and DD's 3rd grade class to a halloween party. I need your best ideas. I have a few, but would love to hear lots more. The party will be in the basement and it is all open, no extra walls to break it up.
I'm looking for decorating ideas, games and scary, creepy foods.
Thanks for any ideas you have.

 

[Pixiedust34]

Try this link:

http://familyfun.go.com/parties/holiday/minisite/halloween-main/halloween-main.html

 

[Freyja]

Subscribing. Great thread

 

[NY Disney fan]

This year I will attempt to make the infamous chocolate pudding/Oreo Graveyard:

You take a square aluminum pan. Fill it with chocolate pudding. The "dirt" of the graveyard is crushed Oreo cookies. Add gummy worms and Cameo cookies (they look like headstones) or any other type of cookie that looks like a tombstone.

 

[funhouse8]

Moster Eyeballs are always a hit with the young kids. Rol up Rice Krispie Trats into small balls, add candie eyes(Can get at bake shop) some red writting gel for effect and they are really cute.
When I was a GS leader we had the kids have a donut eating contest insead of bobbing for apples. You tie donuts onto a pole, hanging on strings at different heights (so they don't get into each others way) and while holding the pole up high the kids eat the donuts off the string. They loved it when we used powered donuts because kids love the added mess. I would use choloate if it were my basement. LOL

Not sure if they are too young for this one.
Tell a spooky story in the dark and send around items in bag for them to feel, plastic glove with water in it frozen( Hand), peeled grape( eyeball), head of calliflower(Brain) jello in a zip lock bag (guts) use anything you can think of.

Paint some small pumpkins.

I also like the graveyard cake. Someone emailed me a cat litter cake which is pretty disgusting but here is the recipe: Bet the kids will love it.
CAKE INGREDIENTS:
1 box spice or German chocolate cake mix
1 box of white cake mix
1 package white sandwich cookies
1 large package vanilla instant pudding mix
A few drops green food coloring
12 small Tootsie Rolls or equivalent

SERVING "DISHES AND UTENSILS"
1 NEW cat-litter box
1 NEW cat-litter box liner
1 NEW pooper scooper

1) Prepare and bake cake mixes, according to directions, in any size pan. Prepare pudding and chill. Crumble cookies in small batches in blender or food processor. Add a few drops of green food coloring to 1 cup of cookie crumbs. Mix with a fork or shake in a jar. Set aside.

2) When cakes are at room temperature, crumble them into a large bowl. Toss with half of the remaining cookie crumbs and enough pudding to make the mixture moist but not soggy. Place liner in litter box and pour in mixture.

3) Unwrap 3 Tootsie Rolls and heat in a microwave until soft and pliable. Shape
the blunt ends into slightly curved points. Repeat with three more rolls. Bury the rolls decoratively in the cake mixture. Sprinkle remaining white cookie crumbs over the mixture, then scatter green crumbs lightly over top.

4) Heat 5 more Tootsie Rolls until almost melted. Scrape them on top of the cake and sprinkle with crumbs from the "litter box". Heat the remaining Tootsie Roll until pliable and hang it over the edge of the box. Place box on a sheet of newspaper and serve with scooper. Enjoy!


Have fun!

 

[Trish Bessette]

You have to have the kids bob for apples

Play pass the pumpkin. Have the kids sit in a circle and just like musical chairs you start the music having the kids pass something "festive". When the music stops that person is out.

Line the kids up in two equal lines. The first person holds an apple under their chin and they have to pass the apple from chin to chin without using hands. The first group to have the apple go down the line and back wins.

If it is nice out have all the kids take their shoes off. Mix them up in a pile. The first kid to find their shoes and put it on wins.

Pin the nose on the pumpkin. Don't think I need to explain this one

Have fun!!

 

[shannonh]

Thanks so much, all of these things sound great. I was thinking of bobbing for apples, but I didn't know if it was still appropriate, since people are so germ crazy.

Any more great ideas?
My thoughts so far on decorations are lots of cobwebs, some caution tape on areas I don't want kids, some outlines outside on the porch of "dead" bodies. I need more.

 

[Freyja]

Thanks so much, all of these things sound great. I was thinking of bobbing for apples, but I didn't know if it was still appropriate, since people are so germ crazy.

Any more great ideas?
My thoughts so far on decorations are lots of cobwebs, some caution tape on areas I don't want kids, some outlines outside on the porch of "dead" bodies. I need more.

We´ve made tombstones to have in the garden. One grave had a hand sticking out of it (latex glove filled with cotton). We´ve had various body parts in jars around the house (pig hearts, they look like human hearts, and brains). I once actually put pig hearts in one of the bathroom sinks and used lip stick to write "Home is where the hearts are" on the mirror above. We´ve also outlined bodies with tape, here and there around the house. We´ve made a green drink and used dry ice in it to cause smoke (it is drinkable).

Have fun! We´re just about to start planning our party too.

 

[christineann]

We played musical chairs with a recording of "Monster Mash". They loved it!

 

[MerryPoppins]

Bake a giant cookie in a pizza pan. Make frosting lines criss-crossing in the middle and a frosing spiral. Add a plastic spider and you have a spiderweb cookie. Cut with a pizza cutter into narrow wedges.

I've seen hotdog mummies made with thin strips of breadstick dough wrapped around a hotdog. You leave a narrow slit open around where the "eyes" should be and put two dots. They were pretty cute.

Divide into teams. Give each team a roll of toilet paper. Start a timer and the team that can wrap a member of the team (chosen in advance), in the best mummy fashion, wins.

Don't make the decorations too scary. I know when I was in Kindergarten I was pretty timid and would have been afraid to go to the party if it looked frightening.